Former Donald Trump adviser Peter Navarro has been ordered to report to prison this month, his lawyers said in a court filing, which could make him the first senior member of the former president's administration to be imprisoned by the Biden administration.
Navarro, who served as Trump's trade adviser, is due March 19 to begin his four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from the Democrats' House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, his lawyers revealed in a court filing late Sunday.
They are asking a federal appeals court in Washington to pause the sentence while Navarro appeals his conviction. His defense team indicated they would ask the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene if his request is denied.
Navarro, 74, was found guilty of contempt of Congress last September for refusing to turn over documents or sit for an interview with the Democrat-led House committee that investigated the Capitol riot, a failed attempt by Trump supporters to overturn Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election. He was sentenced in January.
Navarro, a China hawk who also advised Trump on the response to the COVID pandemic, has claimed Trump invoked the legal doctrine of executive privilege, which shields some presidential records and communications from disclosure.
A federal judge found that Trump had not formerly invoked the privilege.
Steve Bannon, a onetime top strategist to Trump, was also sentenced to four months in prison for defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 panel, but a judge has allowed him to remain free while he appeals.
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